Topic: Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews)

[samuelrichardscott]

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
In 1997, thirty years after being cryogenically frozen, 1960s British super spy Austin Powers is thawed out to tackle his old arch-nemesis Dr. Evil who is holding the world to ransom. But a lot has changed in thirty years and Austin's groovy 60s style and swinging attitude are now totally out of place.
Both a box office smash and an enduring cult favourite, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is one of the most successful comedies of all time. This hilarious spy spoof has earned itself a permanent place in pop culture with its quotable lines, excellent soundtrack and brilliant dual star performance by Mike Myers. There's also great support from Elizabeth Hurley as Austin's sexy sidekick Vanessa Kengsinton and Robert Wagner as Dr. Evil's henchman Number Two, as well as side-splitting performances from Michael York, Seth Green and Will Ferrell.

My Thoughts:
It's hard to believe that fifteen years have already passed since the debut of the Austin Powers franchise, but its held up quite well. Mike Myers does numerous characters brilliantly and Elizabeth Hurley puts in one of her better performances (admittedly not exactly an achievement) as Vanessa Kensington. With a good supporting cast that includes Will Ferrell, Seth Green, Robert Wagner, Mimi Rogers and Michael York, this first Austin Powers is a fun comedy that manages to take the mick out of the 60's/70's spy movies and culture whilst still maintaining its own charm and quirky catchphrases. Filled with sexual innuendo, the dialogue is funny throughout and the timing of the lines is brilliant. My personal favourite scene is Seth Green's character Scott telling Dr Evil he should just get a gun and kill Austin Powers instead of putting him on a very slow moving platform with one inept guard that is easy to escape. Basil Expedition is probably my favourite character and is an excellent little nod to the Bond movies. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

I don't mind him casting himself, because it comes from his everybody-mucks-in, just get the film made style, plus he usually picks very small roles and can be effective surrounded by the heavyweights. His verbal attack on Jules in Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite scenes ever! It works brilliantly because Jackson is humbled and Travolta is getting so pissed off and Tarantino as an actor isn't anywhere near either of them.

Part of what makes his acting roles annoy me is the fact he surrounds himself by such great actors it really shows up his lack of ability in front of the camera. He should stay behind, where he belongs.

[samuelrichardscott]

Bulletproof Monk (2003) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
He has no name. He protects a powerful secret.
Now, to fulfil an ancient prophecy, he has found the one who's supposed to take his place – and it's the most unlikely candidate of all.
In this dazzling action adventure, the Monk (Chow Yun-Fat, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) is a Zen-calm martial arts master, whose duty has been to protect a powerful ancient scroll that holds the key to unlimited power. Now, faced with finding the scroll's next guardian, the Monk's quest brings him to America. According to an ancient prophecy – and to his disbelief – the Monk's successor is a charming, street-tough wild card named Kar (Seann William Scott, American Pie, Road Trip).
Using high-flying acrobatics, martial arts action and quick witted humour, the Monk instructs Kar in the ways of a protector and the duo become partners to save the scroll from the power hungry armies who try to steal it!

My Thoughts:
As Jackie Chan was having success at the box office with the Rush Hour movies and Sammo Hung was enjoying moderate success on TV with Martial Law, Chow Yun-Fat had entered Hollywood with a little less huzzah with The Corruptor and The Replacement Killers. After Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon became massive around the world, he once again became a target for Hollywood and was teamed up with Seann William Scott for Bulletproof Monk. The pair have a good rapore on screen and the plot, although weak, is acceptable enough for it not to detract from the good action choreography. The acting is a mixed bag with nothing particularly outstanding, but Victoria Smurfitt is best in a smallish, but important role and Mako a close second, though he is criminally underused. As with any action film, there is also some laughably bad acting, in this case it is from Marcus Jean Pirae as Mr Funktastic. If you're after a way to pass the time without needing to put any effort into following what it is you are watching, this is a good option. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Rat Race (2001) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Outrageous stunts, hare-brained schemes and an all-star cast pack this return to the great ensemble chase comedy.
Eccentric casino millionaire Donald Sinclair (John Cleese) invites a collection of random characters to race from Las Vegas to New Mexico for a prize of two million dollars.
The contestants think it's far too easy to be true - and they're right - everything that could possibly go wrong does, and soon even the most straight-laced among them are lying, cheating and back-stabbing to get their paws on the cash. Meanwhile, Sinclair is organising another giant gambling game in which he lures his wealthy patrons to bet on the contestants and anything and everything else they can think of.

My Thoughts:
Very very average comedy. Some characters are completely miss (Cuba Gooding Jr and Whoopi Goldberg+daughter), some are hit and miss (Seth Green+brother, Rowan Atkinson) and some are hilarious in every scene (Jon Lovitz+family, Breckin Meyer and Amy Smart). Unfortunately the misses slightly outweigh the hits. I couldn't decide on a favourite scene but I narrowed it down to the 3.
1 - Jon Lovitz and family stealing Hitler's car from the Barbie museum.
2 - When they say to John Cleese (the casino owner) that he can't just give away $2m in a random game, he says "Yes I can, I'm eccentric" and does this weirded out type of cat purr and nobody else shows any type of emotion.
3 - The whole of the last ten minutes. I love the ending to this.
Very very high end of rent it, almost recommended. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Limitless (2011) Region B United Kingdom

Overview:
An action-thriller about a writer who takes an experimental drug that allows him to use 100 percent of his mind. As one man evolves into the perfect version of himself, forces more corrupt than he can imagine mark him for assassination. Out-of-work writer Eddie Morra's (Cooper) rejection by girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) confirms his belief that he has zero future. That all vanishes the day an old friend introduces Eddie to NZT, a designer pharmaceutical that makes him laser focused and more confident than any man alive. Now on an NZT-fuelled odyssey, everything Eddie's read, heard or seen is instantly organised and available to him. As the former nobody rises to the top of the financial world, he draws the attention of business mogul Carl Van Loon (De Niro), who sees this enhanced version of Eddie as the tool to make billions. But brutal side effects jeopardise his meteoric ascent. With a dwindling stash and hit men who will eliminate him to get the NZT...

My Thoughts:
I was drawn to this movie because of its interesting concept of a drug, NZT, that empowers the brain to work to full capacity, allowing users to do incredible things such as learn an entire language in hours, learn trading patterns to make large amounts of cash, and make you more focused on achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. As typical with this sort of movie, there are quite a few plot holes and one thing I didn't understand was with a large part of the movie being about the dwindling supply Morra possesses, why didn't he use his increased intelligence to make more of the drug? Still, it is fun, includes some good set pieces, the dialogue and structure is polished and the cast, including the likes of Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Anna Friel and Abbie Cornish, are capable. Recommended. 3.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) Region FREE United Kingdom

Overview:
Captain America leads the fight for freedom in the action-packed blockbuster starring Chris Evans as the ultimate weapon against evil! When a terrifying force threatens everyone across the globe, the world's greatest soldier wages war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull (Hugo Weaving, The Matrix).

My Thoughts:
Before I say anything it is worth noting that before going into this movie, although I knew who Captain America was, I knew nothing about the character or his 'story'. Viewing the movie as an 'outsider' it must be said that Marvel did a good job as always with making the movie accessible to those unfamiliar, building the development of Captain America/Steve Rogers quite well. Unfortunately though, I found this wasn't as enjoyable as previous Marvel movies, but not bad. The story was rather average and the effects seemed to be missing a spark. Chris Evans, whilst good, just didn't have the screen presence to pull the character off as well as someone else would've done. The supporting cast of Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Dominic Cooper and Hugo Weaving were fine but the best performance here is easily from Stanley Tucci. Although it isn't as good as other Marvel movies, it is still an enjoyable enough watch and I do look forward to seeing the character again in The Avengers. As is par for the course with Marvel movies, make sure you stay tuned until after the credits for an additional scene. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Just Married (2003) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Ashton Kutcher (Dude Where's My Car) and Brittany Murphy (8 Mile) take the cake in this outrageous hit comedy! Sarah is a happy-go-lucky rich girl whose meddling family is as snobbish as it is wealthy. Tom is a hope-I-get-lucky party guy who prefers sports bars over fancy cars. But opposites attract sidesplitting fun when these two young newlyweds embark on their perfectly-planned honeymoon with disastrous – and hilarious results!

My Thoughts:
Slightly below average comedy starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy in which neither puts in very good performances and the chemistry between them is unfortunately lacking. The story is quite formulaic and there are enough laughs to keep your interest but there are better similar comedies available that are more worthy of your time. For fans of Kutcher/Murphy only. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Jumanji (1995) R1 USA

Overview:
Young Alan Parrish discovers a mysterious board game that magically transports him to the untamed jungles of JUMANJI for 26 years until two unsuspecting children, Judy (Kirsten Dunst – Spider-Man™ 1 & 2) and Peter (Bradley Pierce), free him from the game's powerful spell. Now a grown man, Alan (Robin Williams – Robots, Mrs. Doubtfire) reunites with his childhood friend Sarah (Bonnie Hunt – Cheaper By the Dozen), and together with Judy and Peter, tries to outwit the game's powerful forces in this imaginative adventure that combines breathtaking special effects with comedy, magic and thrills!

My Thoughts:
Back in 1995 Jumanji was one of the most successful movies of the year, thanks in part to the cast of Robin Williams, Bonnie Hunt, Bradley Pierce and Kirsten Dunst but mostly thanks to the groundbreaking special effects throughout the movie. Now, seventeen years later, the effects still hold up reasonably well and don't look as dated as one would expect, especially the scene in which animals run amock through the town's streets. The story is a lot of fun and one that will please all age groups, and the dialogue manages to avoid being cheesy. Great family film that comes recommended from me. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Josie and the Pussycats (2001) R1 USA

Overview:
Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook, Antitrust), Melody (Tara Reid, American Pie 2) and Val (Rosario Dawson, Down To You) are life-long friends determined to take their band out of the garage and into the stratosphere - while staying true to their own look, style and sound.
The band is soon discovered by hot-shot manager Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming, Spy Kids) who introduces them to MegaRecords CEO Fiona (Parker Posey, Best In Show) as the next best thing.
Within days they have the number one single in the country, but they soon discover that all is not what it seems. Fiona and Wyatt have devised a hi-tech plan to control the youth of America through their music. It's time for Josie and the Pussycats to bare their claws and fight back.

My Thoughts:
This was a flop at the box office and although it is far from being a great film, it deserved more attention than it got. As far as the cast is concerned, Rachael Leigh Cook and Tara Reid aren't really known for their acting prowess, but they definately suited their roles here and were well cast. Rosario Dawson stands out as being the better actress and again, is well cast in her role. I wasn't keen on Alan Cummings as the bad guy, but he was ok and I have to admit, I thought the boyband, played by Donald Faison, Breckin Meyer and Seth Green was quite a funny, if overplayed, addition. If you want a movie to waste away a couple of hours without much thought, this is worth a look. 3/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Green Lantern (2011) Region FREE United Kingdom

Overview:
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).

My Thoughts:
As the run of great superhero movies continue, more and more are making their way into production. Green Lantern is one of the 'big' heroes that most have heard of but unfortunately, this movie is rather mediocre. The storytelling is quite lazy, with the plot moving at a bit of a slow pace at times. Peter Sarsgaard acts well as the villain Parralax but the character itself isn't very menacing and, well, kind of boring. Special effects are very good but it isn't anything new although Reynolds digitally added suit isn't as bad as I heard it was. Overall, this is worth a look for fans, but I found it to be one of the more boring movies based on comic properties. Low end rental. 2.5/5

[samuelrichardscott]

The Successor (1996) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Jason Connery stars in Rodo Seji's THE SUCCESSOR, a compelling drama concerning the power vacuum left by the collapse of the Soviet Union. As a consequence of a promise made to a dying elderly relative, Peter (Connery) finds himself caught up in a seedy underworld of fringe politics and crime.

My Thoughts:
Dire, confusing, poorly structured, badly acted mess of a film that tries to go in several directions when it can't even manage one. Although it is supposedly a political thriller, it tries to concentrate far too much on a crappy romance story that has no real effect on the actual story and seems to be rushed into the script to appeal to a wider range of people. Jason Connery is awful and overacts every scene, reeling off each line of dialogue with the professionalism of a News of the World telephone hacker. Avoid, avoid, avoid. 0.5/5

[Jimmy]

Jason Connery is awful and overacts every scene, reeling off each line of dialogue with the professionalism of a News of the World telephone hacker.

That's the kind of thing to expect when someone do movies only because he is the son of another someone...

[samuelrichardscott]

Mean Girls (2004) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Raised in the African bush country by her zoologist parents, Cady (Lindsay Lohan) thinks she knows all about the "survival of the fittest." But the law of the jungle takes on a whole new meaning when the home-schooled 15-year-old enters public high school for the first time.
Trying to find her place among jocks, mathletes and other subcultures, Cady crosses paths with the meanest species of all - the Queen Bee, aka the cool and calculating Regina (Rachel McAdams), leader of the school's most fashionable clique, The Plastics. When Cady falls for Regina's ex-boyfriend, though, the Queen Bee is stung and she schemes to ruin Cady's social future. Cady's own claws soon come out as she leaps into a hilarious "Girl World" war that has the whole school running for cover.

My Thoughts:
When I first watched Mean Girls I expected some sort of irrelevant teeny-bopper comedy that I would forget about ten minutes later, but what I actually got was a smart, well-written satirical look at high school cliques that makes me believe this is "Clueless" for the 21st century. The cast includes a multitude of talented actors/actresses like Lindsay Lohan (she can act!), Amanda Seyfried, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Neil Flynn and Lizzy Caplan who all suit their roles, delivering the lines well, especially the members of the bitchy 'Plastics'. It's suprisingly funny, and the way the film is structured means the story moves at a good pace without any boring moments, and the ending is well thought out. If you enjoyed Clueless, you'll definately enjoy this. Recommended. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Bad Boys (1995) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
When $100 million of seized heroin is stolen from the Miami Police lockup, Detectives Lowrey (Will Smith -Men in Black) and Burnett (Martin Lawrence -Big Momma's House), Miami's most mismatched cops, are called upon to solve the case before the FBI close their department. Julie (Tea Leoni) is their only lead to the case, but wil only speak to Lowrey. As he is not around when she calls, Burnett impersonated his cool, slick partner. A hilarious role reversal begins in order to retain her trust. From then on, it's a race against time as the trio dodge the mob, and retain their charade while putting pressure on every low life in Miami's underworld to track down their man.

My Thoughts:
A lot of people don't like Bay, but you know what, I'm going to stand up for the man. Sure, his movies are not anything special, but I'm here for the over the top violence and big explosions, and Bay usually delivers entertaining popcorn flicks that meet that criteria. Bad Boys stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence who work well together, their humour bouncing off each other perfectly for the situations they find themselves in (they ad-libbed a lot of dialogue seemingly). The story, whilst nothing new, is fun and there are plenty of OTT moments that Bay/Bruckheimer are famous for. The supporting cast are a little mixed in ability but fine for the most part. Bay fans will dig it, Bay haters will hate it. Bad Boys 2 isn't as good but I look forward to seeing Bad Boys 3 in 2015, and it's nice to see that Will Smith is throwing a paycheque Lawrence's way. 4/5

[samuelrichardscott]

Striking Distance (1993) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Tom Hardy (BRUCE WILLIS - Armageddon, Die Hard) is a fifth generation Pittsburgh cop. Formerly a homicide detective, Hardy was demoted to River Rescue Patrol two years ago when he publicly challenged the police department, including several of his family members, about the identity of the serial killer who took his father's life.
Convinced that a newly active serial killer is the same gunman who murdered his father - despite the fact that another man is already behind bars for the crime - Hardy is working out of his jurisdiction to catch the killer. The maverick cop finds himself at odds with his new partner (SARAH JESSICA PARKER - Mars Attacks!) as he skirts around the system and defies his uncle (DENNIS FARINA - Get Shorty), his father's successor as the Chief of Homicide.
A high-powered, suspenseful drama with mind blowing action, STRIKING DISTANCE is Bruce at his wise-cracking best.

My Thoughts:
Formulaic, predictable, average, yet enjoyable action thriller. I'm sure most were expecting another Die Hard type film when this came out, but this is a lot more laid back in comparison and whilst nowhere near as good, shouldn't be forgotten. Willis suits his role as a disgraced alcoholic, former homicide detective who has a serial killer who is pulling him into a cat and mouse game whilst the rest of the Pittsburgh police department believes the (innocent) man they have already arrested is responsible. It's quite obvious from the start who the killer is but there is some fun in getting there, including a fairly good car chase and a couple of decent gunfights. The humour is hit and miss throughout but is welcome to lighten the tone and the supporting cast are mostly impressive, especially Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore and John Mahoney. Sarah Jessica Parker is the weak link, but is better than most would think. Overall, this is worthy of a high end rental. 3/5